Clutch.



P. A. GEARY.

CLUTCH; APPLiOATION FILED MAY 1, 1908.

74 76 i7 /0\ A6 20 g INVENTOR WITNESSES:

gm f? I p I jma/W ATTORNEYS Patented Febk 23, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FEFICE.

PETER A. GEARY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLUTCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER A. GEARY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New York, county and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates more particularly to a clutch adapted toautomatically lock and hold the end to a clothes line.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficientdevice in which becomes difficult particularly when supporting a numberof objects.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple device whichmay be readily made, and which is so formed that the rope may be quicklythreaded through the same to be held, or the device quickly removed fromthe rope.

The invention will be hereinafter more particularly described withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end ofthe description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of deviceembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view; and Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section through the device.

The device may be constructed of any suitable material and may be of anydesirable form. Asoshown it comprises a member 10 and a pivotally heldmember 11. The member 10 has a substantially rectangular body 12 inwhich is a substantially rectangular 0 ening 13, the forward end ofwhich is beve ed 01' inclined and provided with a recess as at 14, andprojecting outward from one end of the member 10 is an eye 15 or othersecuring means to which one end of a rope or other connection may befastened. The member 11 has a body portion 16 which is substantiallyrectangular and corresponds to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 1, 1908.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

Serial No. 430,379.

the shape of the opening 13, and said member 11 is pivotally held withinsaid opening by means of a pin or bolt 17 or in any other desired way.This member 11 is cut away, as at 18, at one end or edge of its bodyportion and is provided with a plurality of teeth or engaging points 19,the engaging edges of latter being arranged on a line corresponding tothe inclination of the part 14 of the member 10, so that an opening isprovided between the teeth 19, and the inclined part 14 for. threadingthe free endof the rope. extension 20 is provided on the member 11, andthrough said extension and in alinement and forming a continuation ofthe edge of the teeth 19 is an opening 21 through which the free end ofthe rope or connection to be hold is passed.

As will be seen when the free end of the rope, as 22, Fig. 1, is passedthrough the opening between the teeth 19 and the inclined part 14 of themember 12, and the member 11 released, the tension of the rope or theact of the same in attempting to pull loose, will force the member 11upwardly so as to cause the teeth 19 to engage and rigidly hold therope, but when the member 11 is pressed downward from the upper surfacethereby or by means of the extension 20, the said member 11 will bemoved on its pivot 17, and will be released from the rope so that thesame will be disconnected, or more slack or length of the loop in therope provided.

The term rope is intended to include any connection to which the devicemay be applied.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple and efficient clutch ordevice is provided in which one end of a rope may be permanentlyfastened to one of the members, and the free end thereof held in such away that it will be automatically gripped and held when the free end ofthe rope is threaded therein, and which is so made that the free end ofthe rope may be quickly and readily released from the device.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A device of the character described comprising asupporting member provided with an eye at one end, and an inclinedgroove at the opposite end, and an engaging member pivotally mounted insaid supporting member and provided with teeth, the e11- gaging surfacesof Which are in a plane approximately parallel with said groove.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a supporting memberprovided With an eye at one end, and an inclined groove at the oppositeend, and an engaging member pivotally mounted in said supporting memberprovided with teeth, the engaging surfaces of which are in a planeapproximately parallel With said groove, said engaging member being alsoprovided With an eX- tension having an opening in line with said teeth.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a supporting memberand an engaging member pivotally mounted therein, the free end of saidengaging member being provided With teeth arranged on an incline fromthe outer to the inner faces of said engaging member.

This specification signed and witnessed this twenty-ninth day of AprilA. D. 1908.

PETER A. GEARY.

Witnesses:

M. TURNER, E. KRANCER.

